Apparatus for manufacturing cellular material



y 1970 M. A. CHAVANNES 3,514,362

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United States Patent 3,514,362 APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING CELLULAR MATERIAL Marc A. Chavannes, New York, N.Y., assignor to Sealed Air Corporation, Hawthorne, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Original application Dec. 26, 1963, Ser. No. 336,097, now Patent No. 3,405,020, dated July 7, 1968. Divided and this application June 18, 1968, Ser. No. 737,930

Int. Cl. B32b 31/00 US. Cl. 156-498 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Improved apparatus for the manufacture of cellular material utilizing multi-ply laminates wherein at least one of the laminates is embossed prior to the sealing of the laminates one to the other.

This application is a division of application Ser. No. 336,097, filed Dec. 26, 1963, now US. Pat. No. 3,405,020, entitled Method and Apparatus for the Manufacture of Plastic Laminates and Cellular Materials.

This invention relates to the lamination and molding of plastic materials and more specifically to a novel and improved apparatus for producing cellular products from laminated plastic sheet materials and including laminating and coating means operable in combination therewith.

While plastic materials, and particularly plastic materials in sheet form, are used in a great variety of applications, perhaps the largest use is for the packaging of materials since plastics generally oifer numerous advantages over paper products. For instance, plastics generally will resist the deleterious effects of moisture and other liquids and gases that damage or destroy paper. The more common plastics used for packaging such as polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride are not entirely satisfactory because they are not entirely impervious to moisture vapor and gases. Certain of the more expensive plastics such as polyvinylidene chloride are substantially impervious to moisture vapor and other gases but are not costly and heavier in weight. The lamination of plastics such as polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride with the more impervious plastics such as polyvinylidene chloride has been suggested, but the cost involved in laminating sheets of these plastics makes their use for packaging purposes generally prohibitive and the resultant laminate is, of course, relatively thick and heavy.

One aspect of this invention concerns novel and improved apparatus for coating plastics such as polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, nylon, cellulose acetate, polystyrene and others, with a very thin coating of a more impervious plastic such as polyvinylidene chloride, fluorocarbons, and the like. With this invention, exceedingly thin coatings of plastic such as saran (polyvinylidene chloride) can be applied to some of the more inexpensive plastics to form a composite laminate that is relatively inexpensive and yet has such desirable properties as imperviousness to moisture and gases and light weight.

In cases wherein plastics having relatively low melting points are coated with saran having a higher melting point, the invention further contemplates novel and improved apparatus for sealing the saran coatings one to the other to provide laminates wherein the saran is contained between outer layers of another plastic and for the fabrication of cellular material wherein one of the sheets is embossed prior to the lamination. In both of these cases, the saran is fully protected against abrasion and at the same time is prevented from attacking and lCC corroding certain metals and other materials. By having the saran contained wholly within the plastic product, whether it be an embossed or unembossed laminate, provides a relatively inert packaging material that is substantially impervious to gases and moisture vapor, has improved strength, and at the same time can be fabricated at relatively low cost.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of novel and improved apparatus for fabricating cellular materials of laminated layers of plastic adhered one to the other with at least one of the layers having a plurality of embossments therein forming discrete cells for cushioning and other purposes. The improved cellular material utilizing coated plastics in accordance with the invention provides a highly improved product that can withstand constant pressure for extended periods of time without the loss of the cushioning effect of the material.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings forming part of this application.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of one embodiment of coating apparatus for producing the laminate in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a greatly enlarged cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 taken along the line 22 thereof and showing the resultant laminate;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic illustration of modified coating and laminating apparatus in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 3 taken along the line 44 thereof and showing a greatly enlarged cross-sectional view of the material in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic view of another embodiment of apparatus in accordance with the invention for producing a laminated plastic product;

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic view of still another embodiment of apparatus in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic illustration of apparatus for embossing laminated plastics to form cellular materials and wherein the joinder of the laminates is effected by heating both laminates so that they will be at a fusion temperature at the point of lamination;

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic illustration of another embodiment of the invention for manufacturing cellular material and wherein the fusion of the two laminates is effected by a cooling process;

FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic view of still another embodiment of the invention for coating a plastic sheet and forming cellular material from the coated sheet;

FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic view of an embodiment of the invention for forming three-ply laminates and then forming cellular material; and

FIGS. 11 through 14 show various embodiments of cellular products in accordance with the invention.

As pointed out above, three factors have been found most significant when utilizing plastics for packaging and other similar purposes, namely, cost, imperviousness to gases, moisture vapor and the like, and mechanical strength. With cellular materials wherein a plastic layer is embossed and a second layer is sealed to the embossed layer to provide a plurality of air pockets, the utilization of substantially impervious plastics is of considerable importance to prevent the loss of cushioning effect when the material is under constant and sustained pressure.

This invention provides means for producing a relatively inexpensive plastic material that may be used in sheet form or may be processed to provide a cellular material and which affords benefits not heretofore attainable with known practices. For instance, with this invention, it is possible to provide plastic laminates wherein the base material may be in the order of one-half to several mils and even thicker, while the relatively impervious layer can be of the order of one-tenth of a mil though the thickness is not critical. In this way, the weight of the resultant laminate is maintained at a very low value. Since the impervious material, which is a costly product as compared with plastic such as polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride, is used in very small quantities, the resultant increase in cost is small. Furthermore, when utilizing the process and apparatus in accordance with the invention, the lamination of the plastics can be carried out at speeds of the order of 1000 feet per minute with the result that processing costs are also minimized.

In the fabrication of cushioning material in accordance with the invention, it is possible to coat a plastic material with an impervious layer and immediately process the resultant laminate to provide a cellular material. In this way, intermediate handling of the laminated sheets is avoided, which further reduces the most of the finished product. Furthermore, with the invention, a wide range of cellular materials can be produced utilizing double and triple laminates with any desired combinations of plastics, plastic coated papers, fabrics, and the like. Further, the invention provides for improved modes of sealing laminates in the fabrication of the cellular material.

Reference is now made to FIG. 1, illustrating one embodiment of the invention for coating plastic sheeting. In producing the laminate in accordance with the invention, a base material, such as polyethylene, is in sheet form and is fed continuously through laminating apparatus. The polyethylene is denoted by the numeral and enters the apparatus from the right side. It is guided by a series of rollers 11, 12 and 13 to a pair of rollers 14 and 15 which apply a coating of another plastic to one side thereof. The coating on film 10 may be an emulsion, dispersion or solution 17 and is contained within a suitable trough 16. The roller 15, in the form of a rotogravure printing roll, is at least partially immersed in the liquid 17 and becomes coated as it is rotated. A doctor blade 18 engages the surface of the roller 15 and removes excess liquid that may adhere thereto. When the roller 15 contacts the film 10, the latex liquid or solution 17 is printed on the film and denoted by the numeral 19. The roller 14 acts as a backing roller for the roller 15 to insure uniform deposition of the layer 19 on the film. The printed film is then carried about a series of rollers 20 through 28 which are disposed in arcuate configuration and guide the coated film onto a relatively large cylinder or drum 29 on which the coated layer of plastic is dried and cured. This improved coating process enables the application of exceedingly thin, uniform layers at very high speeds.

The apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is particularly applicable for use in applying a coating of polyvinylidene chloride to the base film 10, and the thickness of the coating so applied is governed by the depth of the depressions in the printing roller 15. By making the depressions in the printing roller 15 relatively shallow, it is possible to surface the base film 10 with a layer of polyvinylidene chloride having a thickness of the order of .0001. The coating liquid may, of course, take a variety of forms though a particularly good one is a latex in which approximately 90% by weight of polyvinylidene chloride and 10% by weight of acrylonitrile have been copolymerized together. This produces an elastic coating that may be readily embossed. The particle size of the material should preferably not exceed .25 micron, and the mixture is then combined with an emulsifying agent and water to provide a latex having a suitable viscosity for application to the base film by means of a printing roller as described above. While it would be possible to use an appropriate solvent in place of the water and emulsifying agent for the production of the liquid latex, it is important that the solvent does not attack or penetrate the base material, for under such circumstances the base material would tend to absorb the solvent and it would then be ditficult and time-consuming to remove it from the base material. In cases where the base material will not absorb the solvent, a solution of the plastic may be utilized in place of the latex.

As the film 10 with the latex coating '19 on the surface thereof passes over the rollers 20 through 28 which are preferably driven at a uniform speed, the individual islands of the latex material deposited by the printing roller 15 spreads on the surface of the base material and produce a uniform coating. Initial heating of the film is accomplished by heat radiators 30, 31 and 32 which preheat the supporting film and the deposited layer to a temperature substantially below that of the melting point of the supporting layer.

The drum 29 about which the coated material 10 is fed is preferably maintained at a temperature high enough to prevent excessive loss of heat from the laminate and yet not melt the supporting layer. The layer 19 is cured and dried while passing around the drum 29 by means of a plurality of air jets 33 and 34. The air jets 33 are in the form of a plurality of closely spaced orifices formed in a transverse tube 35, while the jets 34 constitute a plurality of orifices in an adjoining laterally disposed tube 36. The tubes 35 and 36 are connected to a central manifold 37 and each pair of tubes 35 and 36 together with the common manifold 37 are housed in a surrounding shield 38. Hot air is fed to the plurality of manifolds 37 by a primary manifold 39 shown in dotted outline. With this arrangement, jets of hot air impinge on the layer 19 as the material passes about the drum '29.

When utilizing a polyvinylidene chloride emulsion, the temperature of the air exhausted by the jets 33 and 34 should preferably 'be of the order of 300 F. to 400 F. This raises the temperature of the polyvinylidene coating and at the same time the drum 29 maintains the base material below the melting point of that material. Using polyethylene as the base material, it has been found that with a drum having a diameter of about 54 inches and with the base material traveling at a speed of approximately 1000 feet per minute, the infrared heaters 30 through 32 should emit sufficient heat to raise the temperature of the latex coating to a value not exceeding 175 F. Air temperatures of 300 to 400 will then completely dry and cure the coating. With higher melting point base materials, higher preheating temperatures can be used.

After the material emerges from beneath the last of the air jets, it is removed from the drum 29 by a series of driven rollers 40 through 44 with the rollers 40 and 42 being cooled to bring the composite film or laminate 10' to room temperature.

The completed laminate 10' is shown in FIG. 2 and it will be observed in this greatly enlarged cross-sectional View that the layer 19 is very thin as compared to the 'base material 10.

The film 10 produced in accordance with the method and apparatus shown in FIG. 1 may be utilized to produce a three layer film with the central layer being impervious to gas and moisture vapor, while the outer layers may be heat sealable at relatively low temperatures. For this purpose, the film 10 can be made of a relatively thin base layer 10, as, for instance, .001 inch in thickness and the latex layer 19 may be of the order of .0001 of the thickness of the base layer. The completed material 10' may be rolled on a spool with the impervious layer facing inwardly or fed directly to apparatus for fabricating cellular material such as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.

In accordance with the apparatus and method shown in FIG. 3, two sheets of the film 10' are joined to form the triple layer material. More specifically, the structure of FIG. 3 comprises a pair of drums 45 and 46 which are preferably maintained at a temperature materially below the melting point of the heat sealable base layer of the composite sheets being joined. In the case of polyethylene, the temperature should preferably not exceed 180 F. Below the drum 45 there is a series of three driven rollers 47, 48 and 49 over which one film is fed. A similar set of rollers 50, 51 and 52 are disposed below the drum 46.

Film from a first roll 'A is fed over a guiding roller 53, thence upwardly about the drum and about the rollers 47 through 49. A series of radiant heaters 54 through 58 are positioned adjacent the path of the film from the roll 10A and about the drum 45 to preheat the supporting film and the impervious layer, such as polyvinylidene chloride, to a temperature not exceeding 175 F. It has been found that heaters radiating infrared wavelengths in the approximate range of 3.2 to 3.5 microns produce good results.

Coated film from a second roll 10B is fed about the guiding roller 59 and thence upwardly about the drum 46 and the rollers through 52. A similar set of radiant heaters 60 through '64 are disposed along the path of the film from the roll 10B and about the drum 46 to heat the supporting film and the polyvinylidene layer in the same manner as described in connection with the film from the roll 10'A. The rollers 47 through 49 and 50 through 52 are preferably cooled to bring the temperature of the polyvinylidene layer to approximately 60 F. after having been heated by the infrared heaters. This causes the polyvinylidene to become amorphous and this state will continue for hours.

The treated films 10'A and 10B are then directed over rollers and 66 and are brought together between pressure rollers 67 and 68 with the polyvinylidene coatings in contact one with the other. In so doing, two layers will firmly and permanently cohere one to the other so that the polyvinylidene coatings will join to form in efiect a single central layer. The film is then carried by rollers 69, 70, 71 and 72 to a spool 73 on which the completed film is wound. A fragmentary cross-sectional view of the completed film is shown in FIG. 4 and it will be observed that the vinylidene layer 10' is substantially homogeneous and is relatively thin as compared with the surface layers of heat sealable plastic 10A and 10B. When using base films of the order of one-half mil in thickness, the total thickness of the composite laminate will be only slightly greater than one mil.

The laminate produced in accordance with the method and the structure of FIG. 3 can be accomplished at exceedingly high rates of speed of the order of 1,000 feet per minute and it is evident that it may be combined with a device such as shown in FIG. 1 for continuously producing the three-ply laminated plastic without the need for handling the coated base material between the steps of the process.

Modified apparatus and method for producing the three-ply laminate from two coated films is shown in FIG. 5. In this embodiment of the invention, two drums 74 and 75 corresponding to drums 45 and 46 of FIG. 3 are placed in adjoining relationship and spaced apart a distance slightly less than the total distance of the two films 10A and 10B to be joined one to the other. In this way, the two films are placed under pressure to effect the joinder. The individual films 10A and 10B are passed about rollers 76 and 77, respectively, thence upwardly about the drums 74 and 75 and the joined film is then passed about cooling rollers 78, 79 and 80. The two films 10'A and 10B are preferably fed onto and about the drums 74 and 75 with the polyvinylidene coating on the outer sides. The coatings and the supporting film are heated by infrared heaters 81 through 87 to raise the temperature of at least the coatings to about 250 F. to 275 -F. When the polyvinylidene coatings on the films are brought together in this heated state, they will adhere, and the rollers 78 through are cooled to immediately lower the temperature of the film preferably below 100 6 F. The completed film then passes over rollers 88, 89, 90 and 91 and is wound on a spool 92.

In certain instances, it is desirable to utilize a primer on the base material in order to produce better adhesion between the impervious coating and the base material, as, for instance, an epoxy or a resin having a butadiene base such as the combination of polyvinyl chloride and butadiene. In most applications, it is desirable to use a water dispersion of the resin though it is possible to utilize a solution provided, however, that the solvent will not attack the base material as previously described.

The lamination of plastics utilizing a primer is shown in FIG. 6 wherein the base material is denoted by the numeral 93. It is fed from a roll 94 about rollers 95 and 96 to a suitable printing roll 97. The printing roll 97 has a portion of its periphery immersed in a bath 98 containing the primer, and the amount of primer adhered to the roll is controller by the doctor blade 99 and the depth of the depressions in the printing roller. A backup or pressure roller 100 cooperates 'with the printing roller 97 so that some pressure is applied to the film to insure uniform application of the primer to the base material 93. After the base material 93 has been coated, it passes upwardly past radiant heaters 101 and 102 and thence about a drum 103. It is preferable to maintain the drum i103 below the melting point of the base material 93 as described in connection with the previous embodiments of the invention. The structure 104 surrounding a portion of the periphery of the drum 103 is identical to the structure surrounding the drum 29 shown in FIG. 1 and provides a plurality of air jets for the direction of heated air onto the coating. While any suitable primer may be used, an example of a satisfactory primer is a polyvinylidene dispersion containing a partially polymerized resin and about 40% solids such as colloidal silica. After the primer coating has been heated and cooled in substantially the same manner as the polyvinylidene latex coating previously described, the film passes over rollers 106 to 109 for a coating of polyvinylidene latex as described in FIG. 1.

The application of the coating of polyvinylidene and its curing is accomplished in a manner identical to that illustrated and described in connection with FIG. 1, and, accordingly, like primed numerals have been utilized to identify corresponding elements of FIGS. 1 and 6. For instance, the polyvinylidene is applied by the printing roller 15 in cooperation with the backing roller 14, it then passes about the roller 20' and then upwardly past radiant heaters 31 and 32 and about the roller 29' during which period hot air from jets 33' and 34' impinge on the layer to elfect the cure. The heated material is then taken off the drum 29' and moves about the cooling drum 42' and thence about the rollers 43' and 44' to the spool 110.

The resultant material 111 containing a suitable base sheet with successive coats of a priming resin and an impervious resin such as polyvinylidene may then be utilized in that form for packaging or other applications or two such laminates 111 may be joined to produce a composite structure by means of the methods and apparatus illustrated and described in connection with FIGS. 3 and 5.

From the foregoing, it is evidence that this improved material can be manufactured at exceedingly high rates of speed and that relatively small amounts of the impervious resin are required in order to produce a more elfective sheet material and at the same time having substantial strength and heat sealable characteristics. The utilization of relatively small amounts of impervious resin such as polyvinylidene adds very little to the resultant cost of the sheet material, and actual practice has indicated that the great avantages obtained more than outweigh the small additional cost.

The improved laminates, as described above, are relatively light in weight and substantially impervious to gases and moisture vapor. These laminates are particularly useful for the manufacture of cellular material as described in U.S. Pat. application, Ser. No. 855,712, filed Nov. 27, 1959, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,142,599, entitled, Method and Apparatus for Making Laminated Cushioning Material, wherein at least one of the sheets being laminated is embossed with a plurality of discrete embossments and the embossments are in turn sealed by a backing sheet.

The apparatus shown in FIG. 7 is particularly useful for the formation of cellular materials with laminates described above wherein the layers having the lower melting points are to be sealed one to the other. This would, of course, include the sealing of two three-ply laminates such as shown in FIG. 4, two two-ply laminates or combinations of two and three-ply laminates. This form of the invention may also be used with polyvinyl chloride coated with saran and wherein the saran surfaces of the laminates are sealed one to the other. While the structure of FIG. 7 has been illustrated as a separate piece of equipment, it is evident that it can be combined with a suitable form of coating or laminating equipment such as shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 6 so that the plastic sheets are each coated and then automatically fed to the apparatus for forming the cellular material, thus avoiding the handling of the intermediate product. Furthermore, by reason of the improved lamination procedures as shown in the preceding figures, the speed of the laminating process can be controlled and coordinated with the speed of the apparatus for forming the cellular material.

'Referring now specifically to FIG. 7, the laminated sheets of plastic to be formed into cellular material are denoted by the numerals 120 and 121. For present purposes, the supply of such plastic sheeting is shown in the form of rolls 120" and 121', respectively. The plastic sheet from the roll 120' is fed over a roller 122 and thence over a series of rollers 123 through 129 which are preferably positively driven rollers to avoid any unnecessary stresses on the sheet as it is being heated.

A plurality of radiant heaters 130 through 135 are positioned generally between each pair of rollers 123 through 123 through 129 and serve to gradually raise the temperature of the sheet 120. The rollers 123 through 129 are all preferably covered with a high, heat-resistant, nonconductive material, such as Teflon, and the like, to prevent any possible adherence of the plastic sheet 120 to the rollers. The temperature of the heaters 130 through 135 is also adjusted in accordance with the melting point of plastic material 120. In the case of polyethylene, for instance, the temperature of the material 120 at the time it arrives at the terminal roller 136 should be in the neighborhood of 180 to 200 which is materially below the melting point of polyethylene. In the case of saran and polyvinyl chloride, the temperature would be somewhat higher since the melting poins of these plastics are higher.

The plastic sheet 120 then passes around the roller 136 and the rollers 137 and 138, all of which are also preferably coated with a material that will inhibit adherence of the heated plastic thereto. For this purpose, Teflon has been found very effective. The three rollers 136 through 138 are all heated, preferably at gradually increasing temperatures, so that the temperature of the plastic sheet 120 at the time it is applied to the embossing roller 139 is at a temperature wherein the outer surface when on the embossing roller 139 is preferably near the melting point. It has been found desirable to avoid bringing the plastic material 120 to a temperature at or above its melting point particularly in cases where unlaminated sheets are used, since it has been found that the vacuum embossing roller 139 may produce very fine holes in the plastic if the temperature at the moment it is applied to the embossing cylinder is too high. Nothwithstanding the lower temperatures of the film 120 as it is applied to the vacuum embossing roller 139, fusion of the embossed 8 layer with the backing layer 121 is effected in a manner to be described.

The embossing cylinder 139 may have any desired size or configuration, it being desirable, however, that the surface contain the plurality of discrete depressions of a size and configuration of the embossments to be formed in the layer 120, be fabricated of a heat conductive material, such as aluminum or the like. In addition, the roller includes means for maintaining its temperature at a predetermined level throughout the process which is below the melting point of the plastic layer in contact with the cylinder.

The backing plastic sheet 121 is fed from a suitable supply such as a roll of the film 121' and is fed about the roller 140 and the Teflon coated rollers 141 through 145, each of which is positively driven. A plurality of radianet heaters 146 through 149, which may be infrared heaters or other suitable heating units, raise the temperature of the plastic layer to a temperature somewhat below the melting point thereof. The layer 121 is then fed about a Teflon coated heating roller 150 and thence about a silicon coated roller 151. The roller 151 is preferably maintained at or below room temperature and functions to maintain the back side of the film 121 substantially below its melting point. At the same time, a radiant heater 152, curved about the surface of the roller 151, heats the outer surface of the film 121 to a temperature substantially above the sealing temperature of the surface of that layer. For example, let it be assumed that the plastic layers to be sealed one to the other with the apparatus shown in FIG. 7 have a sealing temperature of about 305 F. Under these conditions, the sheet of plastic 120 is preferably heated to a temperature of approximately 300 F. for application to the embossing cylinder. This temperature is below the sealing temperature which prevents the possibility of damage to the film during the embossing procedure. At the same time, the film or sheet 121 has its outer surface heated to a temperature at or above 310 F. so that the surface of the film may be in a melted condition or very near the melting point. The film 121, however, will not be distorted or damaged since the roller 151 maintains the back side of the film at a temperature well below its sealing point. Under these conditions, the heated surface of the film 121 is sufficient to momentarily raise the temperature of the outer surface of the film 120 when on the embossing roller so that the contacting surfaces of the two films are at or above the fusing temperature and are permanently fused together with the embossed portions of the film 120 being individually sealed.

Another factor of importance in effecting a good seal between the two films 120 and 121 resides in the control of the temperature of the embossing roller 139. It has been found that the optimum temperature for the roller 139 will vary in accordance with the speed of the operation and the thickness of the films. Normally, when using l-mil films of polyethylene, the temperature of the roller 139 can be as high as 180 when the machine is first operated. As the temperatures stabilize in the machine, and when running at a speed of the order of 200 feet per minute, the temperature can be materially reduced to the order of 100 and even lower. At higher speeds, still lower temperatures can be maintained in the roller 139, and of course, with heavier films lower temperatures can be maintained readily. It is desirable to maintain as low a temperature of the roller 139 as possible without adversely affecting the seal between the two films as it is desirable to effect some cooling of the embossments while on the embossing cylinder and avoid the accumulation of heat in the cylinder which can result in damage to the embossments.

The completed cellular material denoted by the numeral 153 may be cooled by suitable water or air jets 139' and is removed from the cylinder 139 by a series of cooling 9 rollers 154, 155 and 156 which further lower the temperature of the completed product whereupon it is fed about the roller 157 and on to a suitable spool 158.

The apparatus shown in FIG. 7 is particularly useful in "forming cellular material from laminates such as those shown in FIGS. 10, 11 and 12 wherein the impervious material is generally denoted in each figure by the letter I while the base material is denoted by the letter B and wherein the base material B normally has a lower melting point than the impervious material I. Even in cases where the melting point of the base material may be slightly higher than the material I, it is possible to utilize the equipment shown in FIG. 7 since the temperature of the layer 120 upon application to the embossing cylinder 139 is generally slightly lower than the melting point of the layer of material to be sealed, while the sheet 121 upon passing over the roller 151 is cooled on the back side and heated by a heater 152 on the outer side so that at least the surface of the outer layer which is sealed to the embossed sheet 120 will have a temperature preferably slightly above its melting point as described above.

In the fabrication of cellular material such as that shown in FIG. 11 wherein the impervious layer I melts at a higher temperature than the base layer B and has an amorphous state, an improved mode of sealing the two layers one to the other may be utilized. This improved method and apparatus will now be described in connection with the apparatus shown in FIG. 8 of the drawings. In this figure the laminated layers to be sealed one to the other are denoted by the numerals A and 10'B, these laminated sheets being formed, for instance, as described in connection with FIG. 1. For convenience in description, the laminated sheets are fed from rolls 160 and 161 with the sheet 10'A being fed about a roller 162 and then upwardly past radiant heaters 163 and 164 and thence about a roller 165 and a large drum 166. Assuming that each of the laminates 10'A and 10B comprise a base layer of polyethylene and a surface coating of saran, the saran would then be on the left-hand face of the material 10'A as shown in FIG. 8 and on the right side of the material 10'B. Thus, the radiant heaters 163 and 164 will principally heat the saran to a temperature in the neighborhood of 180 F. to 200 F. The cylinder 166 is heated to a temperature high enough to bring the saran coating to a temperature of the order of 215 F. to 225 F. The heated material is then applied to the embossing cylinder 167 which is heated in a manner heretofore described. The embossing cylinder 167 is substantially identical to the cylinder 139 shown and described in FIG. 7 and the embosed layer 10A is then cooled by a cooling belt 168 which tightly engages the surface of the embossing cylinder 167 and is carried by rollers 169, 170, 171, 172 and 173, the latter being maintained at a temperature low enough to bring the saran coating down to and preferably below room temperature and thus place the saran in an amorphous state.

The second layer 10'B, which is to be sealed to the outside of the embossed layer 10'A while on the embossing cylinder 167, is carried by the roller 174 upwardly past radiant heaters 175 and 176 and then about a series of rollers 177, 178, 179 and 180. Since the caran layer on the sheet 10B is on the right-hand side as viewed in FIG. 8, the heaters 175 and 176 will heat the saran coating to the order of 200 F. as in the case of heaters 163 and 164. The roller or cylinder 178 is heated at a sufficiently high temperature to again raise the temperature of the saran to about 215 to 225 F. The roller 178, as well as the roller 166, is preferably coated with Teflon to prevent any possible adherence of the layers to these heating rollers. The heated material 10'B leaving the roller 178 moves about the rollers 179 and 180 which reduce the temperature of the saran layer to the vicinity of room temperature and preferably lower, and the cooled material which is now in the amorphous state is fed about the roller 181 and onto the embossed and cooled layer 10A. Since both the saran coatings are in the amorphous state, a permanent seal is effected upon contact of the two layers and the finished material is then removed from the embossing cylinder by a series of rollers 182, 183, 184 and 185 wound on a suitable spool 186.

The material fabricated by the method and apparatus illustrated in FIG. 8 is shown in FIG. 11 and it will be observed that the impervious layers 1, which in the present illustration represent saran, are completely enclosed by the base layers such as polyethylene, polyvinyl or the like.

As previously pointed out, certain forms of apparatus may be used in a single continuous process for the fabrication of a plastic laminate and then forming the laminates immediately thereafter into cellular material. For instance, the method and apparatus of FIG. 1 may be utilized with the method and apparatus set forth in FIG. 7 as a single procedure for the continuous fabrication of cellular material. In so doing, it is possible to eliminate certain of the heating and cooling steps and thereby provide a more efiicient process.

One form of apparatus for laminating plastic sheets in accordance with the invention and then immediately forming cellular material is illustrated in FIG. 9. Inasmuch as certain elements of FIG. 9 correspond to elements of FIGS. 1 and 7, like numerals with the addition of 200 have been used to denote such elements in FIG. 9. For instance, the printing roller 15 of FIG. 1 is denoted in FIG. 9 as 215, and the embossing roller 139 of FIG. 7 is denoted by the numeral 339.

The apparatus of FIG. 9 may be utilized for fabricating a wide variety of laminates and particularly the coating of fihns or sheets of polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride with an impervious plastic such as saran. As will become evident, the saran coatings may either be heat sealed to join two coated plastic sheets in the formation of cellular material or the joining may be effected by transforming the saran coatings to an amorphous state. In the foregoing description of other embodiments of the invention, the temperature and heat treatment to effect joinder of plastic laminates were discussed and the same principles apply in the case of the apparatus of FIG. 9.

The plastic sheets to be coated are denoted by the numerals 210a and 210k and are simultaneously treated. The sheet 210a is passed over rollers 211 and 212 thence between a printing roller 215 and a cooperating pressure roller 214. The printing roller 215 is immersed in a bath 216 which may be a saran emulsion and a doctor blade 218 remove excess emulsion on the surface of the roller 215. The printed sheet 210 then passes about rollers 220 through 228 and beneath radiant heaters 230 to 232. The dried laminate then moves about the cylinder 229 and the coating is further dried by hot air jets contained within the housing 239 as previously described in connection 'with FIG. 1. The laminate, upon leaving the cylinder 229, while in a heated condition, is below the fusion point of saran. In order to raise the laminate to a suitable molding and fusing temperature, the film passes over rollers 336, 337 and 338 which may be heated at successively increasing temperature whereupon it is fed onto the vacuum embossing cylinder 339.

The second film 21% is processed in substantially the same manner as the film 210a and elements for processing the film 21% are identified by corresponding primed numerals. After the film 21% leaves the drum 229, it passes about three heating rollers 336, 337' and 338 and thence about a cooled roller 351 having a resilient coating 351a preferably of silicone rubber or the like to provide substantially uniform nip pressure throughout its contact with the embossing cylinder 339. A final heater 352 surrounding a portion of the periphery of the roller 351 heats the outer surface of the film 21% above the fusion temperature to effect a seal with the embossed material 210a and provide a plurality of sealed cells. The temperature of the cylinder 339 is preferably controlled at a level below the embossing temperature of the film 210a. At relatively high speeds, the temperature of cylinder 339 can be reduced to the order to 100 F. and even lower. In addition, cooling jets of water or gas 339' may be employed to insure sufiicient cooling of the laminated material and a permanent bond between the two coated films or sheets. The finished material is then passed about cooling rollers 354, 355 and 356 and is thereupon guided about a roller 357 onto a spool 358. The finished material will then correspond to the product shown in FIG. 11 though the embossments may take configurations other than hemispherical.

The apparatus shown in FIG. 9 may also be utilized with a modified procedure for sealing coated plastic sheets 210a and 2101) when the coating applied to the sheets has an amorphous state such as in the case of saran. This modified procedure involves heating at least the saran coatings to a temperature of the order of 215 F. and then rapidly cooling the coatings to a temperature well below room temperature and preferably of the order of 40 F. to 60 F. The cooling of the film 210a may be effected by the utilization of an appropriate cooling belt such as the belt 168 as shown in FIG. 8 which would function to cool the embossed film 210a while on the embossing cylinder 339. The film 2101) would then be supercooled by means of rollers 336, 337' and 338 and the roller 351 would merely function to bring the film 21% into pressure contact with the film 210a on the embossing cylinder 339. With this arrangement, the rollers 354, 355 and 356 would not have to be cooled but could be maintained at room temperature.

The apparatus shown in FIG. 10 illustrates a continuous process for simultaneously coating four separate plastic sheets with a plastic material containing saran or the like, laminating pairs of sheets to provide a three-ply material as described in connection with FIG. 3 and then forming a cellular material from the two laminates to provide a finished product substantially as shown for instance in FIG. 12 of the drawings.

More specifically, the four films which are simultaneously processed are denoted by the numerals 410a, 410b, 410a and 410d. The film 410a is carried about rollers 411a and 412a to a printing roller 413a having a doctor blade 414a. The printing roller 413a is partially immersed in a bath 415a containing a latex such as the combination of polyvinylidene and acrylonitrile as previously described. A pressure roller 416a cooperates with the printing roller 413a to print the latex onto the film 410a. The coated film then passes over rollers 417a through 423a, and radiant heaters 424a, 425a and 426a function to remove some of the moisture from the coating as described in connection with FIG. 1. The film then passes about a drum 427a having an air jet structure 428a which corresponds to the structure 39 described in connection with FIG. 1. This finally dries the coating and the coated plastic film 41011 is then removed from the drum 427a by heated rollers 429a, 430a, 431a and 432a.

The films 41012, -c and -d are simultaneously processed with the film 410a in the same manner and corresponding elements of the processing equipment for these three films are identified by corresponding numerals carrying the suffixes -b, -c and -d, respectively.

The coated films 410a and 41012 are brought together with the coatings heated to a fusion temperature and pass between the nip of the rollers 433a and 433b, the latter preferably having a resilient coating thereon of silicone rubber or the like. This produces a three-ply laminate substantially as shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings and is denoted in FIG. 10 by the numeral 410'. The laminate is then guided over rollers 434 through 439 and beneath resilient heaters 440, 441 and 442 to preheat the laminate 410'. The laminate then passes about heating rollers 443, 444, 445, 446 and thence onto the embossing cylinder 447.

A second three-ply laminate 410" is formed from the coated films 410a and 410d in like manner and the ele ments of the apparatus for effecting this lamination correspond to the elements of the apparatus for laminating films 410a and 41011 and are identified by like primed numerals with the exception that the rollers 445 and 446 for heating the laminate 410 are replaced by a single resiliently coated roller 448 to provide a uniform pressure with the embossing cylinder 447 so that an efiective seal between the two laminates will be obtained. The coating on the roller 448 is preferably of silicone rubber or the like as in the case of the roller 151 of FIG. 7. The laminated cellular structure on the embossing cylinder 447 is then cooled by jets of cold air or water 449 and the cooled material is then removed by cooling rollers 450, 451 and 452. The material is then guided about a roller 453 and wound upon the spool 454.

The apparatus in FIG. 10 can be modified to laminate the coated plastic sheets 410a and b and 410s and d by utilization of the supercooling process. For this purpose the rollers 429a, 430a and 431a would be supercooled in order to rapidly cool the coating to bring it to an amorphous state. The rollers 429b, 43011 and 4311) would be similarly supercooled in order to cool the coating on the sheet -410b. When the supercooled coated sheets are brought together between the rollers 433a and 433b, they will immediately cohere to form the three-ply laminate. Thereafter, the process for heating and embossing the three-ply laminate 410 is as described above. The same procedure would be adopted in the lamination of the coated sheets 410a and 410d by cooling the rollers 429e, 4300, 431a, 429d, 430d and 431a.

From the foregoing, it is evident that combinations of the apparatus may, of course, be utilized depending on the desired structure of the resultant product. For instance, it would be possible by a continuous process to coat plastic sheets and form a three-ply laminate and then combine the three-ply laminate with a two-ply laminate to form the cellular material in accordance with the invention.

The improved products in accordance with the inven tion are illustrated in FIGS. 11 through 14 and in each case, the base materials have been denoted by the letter B while the material coated thereon is denoted by the letter I. In FIG. 11, two-ply laminates have been used with the impervious material I being enclosed and protected by the base material. The base material may, of course, be any suitable material such as polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene or the like, while the impervious material may comprise a combination of polyvinylidene chloride and acrylonitrile though other suitable plastics for attaining the same ends may also be used. It will be observed that where the layers I are sealed together to form the cells they form a substantially homogenous structure permanently sealing the cells.

FIG. 12 shows an alternative embodiment of the invention utilizing two three-ply laminates. It will be observed in each of the laminates that the impervious material I is enclosed between outer layers of the base material.

FIGS. 13 and 14 show alternate structures involving the utilization of two-ply and three-ply laminates.

In the illustration of the products in FIGS. 11 through 14, the thicknesses of the layers have been emphasized for purposes of clarity, it being understood that the layers of base material may be of the order of one to two mils in thickness, while the coating of impervious material may be of the order of one-tenth of the thickness of the base material and the cells may be of any desirable size and configuration.

While only certain embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it is evident that alterations, changes and modifications may be made without departing from the true scope and spirit thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for forming cellular material from two plastic sheets having thermoplastic properties and coated with a plastic material having thermoplastic properties comprising a first plurality of heat radiators, means including a moving vacuum embossing surface having a plurality of discrete recesses therein, for moving one of said coated sheets past said radiators and in spaced relationship thereto to heat said sheet above the embossing temperature thereof with at least the surface of the coating in the vicinity of the melting point thereof, said em bossing surface forming a plurality of cells in said sheet, a second pluarity of heat radiators, means feeding the second coated plastic sheet in spaced relationship past said radiators and into overlying relationship with the first said sheet with the coatings on said sheets in contact one with the other, a resiliently coated roller in pressure engagement with said embossing surface to seal the coatings on said sheets one to the other as they pass between said surface and said coated roller, means for effecting a permanent seal between said coatings while on said moving surface and means for removing the completed material from said surface.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 including at least one heated roller adjoining said embossing surface for feeding said first sheet onto said surface, and means directing said second sheet about said resiliently coated roller and onto said surface.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein each of said sheets is coated with a material having an amorphous state and said apparatus includes means for rapidly cooling the coating of the first heated sheet after embossment thereof, means following said second plurality of heat radiators to cool rapidly the coating on said second sheet to transform it to an amorphous state.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 including means for coating each of said sheets with a plastic material substantially impervious to gases, the last said means each including means for applying liquid containing said plastic material to one side of said sheet, a drying drum including temperature control means therefor to limit the maximum temperature of the drum below the melting point of said sheet, means for feeding the coated sheet onto said drum with the coating facing outwardly, and means for directing high velocity, high temperature air onto said coating while on said drum to dry said coating.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said coating means includes heating means for heating said coated sheet just prior to its movement onto said drum.

6. Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said coating means further includes means for applying a primer selected from the group consisting of epoxy and resins containing butadiene to each of said sheets prior to the application of said coating.

7. Apparatus for making cellular sheet material comprising means for simultaneously coating at least one side of each of four continuous sheets of plastic material having thermoplastic properties with a liquid containing a plastic having air impervious thermoplastic properties, heating means for simultaneously preheating said liquid coatings to at least partially dry the coatings, at least four individual drums each having a plurality of heating devices disposed about the periphery thereof, means for feeding each sheet about one of said drums to completely dry the coating, a first pair of pressure rollers, means for feeding two of said coated and dried sheets between said pressure rollers and with the coatings in contact one with the other to fuse said sheets and form a first threeply laminate, a second set of pressure rollers, means for feeding the remaining two sheets between said second set of pressure rollers with said coatings in contact one with the other to form a second three-ply laminate, a vacuum embossing cylinder having a plurality of recesses distributed throughout the surface thereof, means for heating and feeding the first said three-ply laminate onto said embossing cylinder, means for heating and feeding the second three-ply laminate into overlying pressure relationship with the first said three-ply laminate to fuse the the laminates one to the other and form a cellular material, and means for cooling and removing the completed material from said embossing cylinder.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7 wherein each of said coating means comprises a printing roller and a cooperating pressure roller and means for continuously applying a coating of liquid containing a plastic to said printing roller for transfer to the plastic sheet being coated and provide a substantially uniform coating on said sheet.

9. Apparatus according to claim 7 wherein each of said coatings contains polyvinylidene chloride and said apparatus further includes means for rapidly cooling each coated and dried heated sheet immediately prior to the lamination of pairs of sheets to form said three-ply laminates.

10. Apparatus according to claim 7 wherein each of said coating means comprises a printing roller, a cooperating pressure roller and means for continuously coating said printing roller with a liquid containing polyvinylidene chloride for transfer to said sheet and wherein said means for applying the second said three-ply laminate to said embossing cylinder includes a resiliently coated roller in pressure relationship with said embossing cylinder for pressing said second three-ply laminate into overlying relationship to the first said three-ply laminate.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,737,467 3/1956 Massey 156292 X 2,877,151 3/1959 Doherty et al. 156-209 X 3,020,194 2/1962 Jerothe 156498 X 3,124,476 3/1964 Park et al. 118642 X 3,208,898 9/1965 Chavannes et a1. 156553 X 3,416,984 12/1968 Chavannes et al. 156-209 FOREIGN PATENTS 820,375 9/ 1959 Great Britain.

JOHN T. GOOLKASIAN, Primary Examiner I. C. GIL; Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

